Post-war / Korean War (1947-1955)
US Navy aircraft continued using Glossy Sea Blue ANA 623 throughout the immediate post-war era but around 1947/48 the pigment composition of GSB was altered in order to produce a color that would be less prone to fading and losing its glossy sheen. This new version of ANA 623 also ended up being slightly lighter and more saturated than its wartime predecessor, and does not match FS 15042 or any other Federal Standard color for that matter. It was also standard practice during this period not to paint the blue sections of the roundel altogether, a practice that Grumman introduced during World War II. Although Korean War aircraft were no less prone to getting dirty up (particularly since many were land-based), most color photos conclusively show very minimal fading of the paint.
From 2 January 1947 (BuAer Specification SR-2f), the use of ANA 623 would spread to nearly all major combat types including patrol aircraft, seaplanes, and helicopters the latter which were becoming increasingly important components of naval operations as the Korean War would later show. Although new schemes were introduced in 1955 that finally broke the ANA 623 monopoly (see below), the delays in repainting (usually only once an aircraft was sent for maintenance or overhaul) meant that Glossy Sea Blue airframes would still be seen all the way until the end of the decade.
Paint guide:Glossy Sea Blue ANA 623 (2): No paint company currently makes a postwar-specific ANA 623. Most modeling paints attempt to match FS 15042 which is closer to the darker wartime shade and would not look appropriate when compared with photos of USN/USMC aircraft from around the time of the Korean War. Only Colourcoats makes a specific post-war version, although it is matched to FS 15042 which would seem incorrect. Tamiya XF-17, a poor match for the wartime shades, looks like a better post-war fit while Xtracolor/Xtracrylix (X121/XA1121) appears closer to the post-war version as well. Given that the difference between ANA 607 and 623 is not as great as many paint manufacturers think, a workaround is to use ANA 607 if it is separately available and is lighter and more saturated. For example, Gunze’s H56/C14 seems to fit this description. The paint table includes ANA 607 matches and equivalents with the caveat that they have not been adequately compared.
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Glossy Sea Blue FS-15042
ANA 623 (2) | |
Glossy Sea Blue | |
Schemes | |
Basic | Overall |
Color matches | |
Gunze Aqueous | (H54) (?) |
Gunze Mr Color | (C14) (?) |
Humbrol | (181) (?) |
Model Master | (1718) (?) |
Revell | – |
Tamiya | (XF-17) (?) |
Vallejo Model Air | (71.295) (?) |
Vallejo Model Color | (70.898) (?) |
AKAN | (72042) (?) |
AK Interactive | (AK 2233) (?) |
AK Real Colors | (RC257) (?) |
AMMO by Mig | (A.MIG-227) (?) |
Colourcoats | ACUS35 |
Hataka | (HTK-_006) (?) |
Lifecolor | (UA 044) (?) |
Mission Models | (MMP-062) (?) |
Mr Paint | (MRP-237) (?) |
Xtracolor | (X121) |
Xtracrylix | (XA1121) |
https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2012/06/sea-blue-vs-insignia-blue.html